Reunion
by ChibiKenshin
Summary: Vash, his brother and the girls visit those who know of the incident that happened six years before.
1. Chapter One of Twelve

Five years after the fight between Vash and Knives, to the day  
  
  
Vash, or Jude Nichols as he was now calling himself, drove his beat-up car to   
the place where it all started.  
  
July City.  
  
It was a totally different place now, now that people began spreading out and   
resettling in different places. It was only about a year ago that he taught the   
people of the towns how to use their Plants more efficiently. And it was only a   
few months ago that the people discovered how to survive in places without   
Plants by constructing a series of electrical lines and generators.  
  
He slammed the car door, gazing around at the locals. Some of the men were using   
some of the old rubble, mixed with new materials that they brought to renovate   
or start entirely new buildings. Some were lounging under makeshift shades, also   
constructed from old debris, drinking their beers and playing card games.  
  
"I guess they're working in shifts."  
  
He stood aback, scanning across the town that used to be a hell-hole...the hell-  
hole that was the beginning of his reputation.  
  
His eyes caught images of children playing in the sweltering heat, mothers   
fanning their babies. He cracked his fingers, hoping he could provide these   
hard-working people with some kind of help; hopefully no one would recognise him   
now. He had grown out his hair and kept it in a long ponytail down to the middle   
of his back. His now-brown-once-white shirt required a wash and his khakis had   
holes and oil stains here and there.  
  
"Can I help in anyway?" He brought himself up to one of the men who was   
hammering some sheets of metal together, putting on the kindest smile he knew.  
  
"You could help those men put that building together." He motioned with his   
hammer, not lifting his head from his duty. His tone was gruff and uncaring; not   
surprisingly. Vash knew that people were trying their best to build satisfactory   
lives on this planet of sand. Seeing nothing but the yellow-brown of the land   
tended to get to you, making you dry and uncaring just like the sand.  
  
"Sure. No problem."  
  
He spent the next 3 to 4 hours helping these settlers making the best of what   
they had. He took breaks playing with the children, bringing refreshments to the   
men and keeping the mothers company with his "natural charm". He even had an   
occasional beer or two. He glanced at his watch, realizing he had spent too much   
time here. He needed to be moving on. And quickly. He bid the people goodbye and   
wished them luck on finished their town.  
  
"What are you planning on calling it?" he shouted, climbing into his car.  
  
*"Naikii."  
  
"Naikii....", he nodded. "You better have some good donut shops when I get   
back." The car started with a choke, but the engine eventually rumbled on. He   
placed it into gear and took off; children ran after the car screaming their   
goodbyes and come back soons.  
  
The sun was already half-set when the effects of the beers and hard labour began   
kicking in. The landscape became blurry; luckily there was nothing he could run   
the car into. It was better he tried to finish his journey after a well-deserved   
nap. After stopping the car, he climbed into the backseat, pulling a ragged   
sheet he always kept with him right around him. The night wasn't going to spare   
him this time.  
  
His eyes lingered on the stars dotting the sky, seeing if he could remember any   
constellations he had been taught. He gave up after trying numerous times,   
closing his eyes to welcome the peace of sleep.  
  
"Needle-noggin..."  
  
Vash was surrounded by darkness, but he knew that he wasn't alone.  
  
"Hey Wolfwood. How are you?"  
  
The scraggly priest stepped out of the darkness, the familiar smile on his face   
and his hands stuffed into his pockets.  
  
"Gotta cig on you?"  
  
Vash chuckled. "Now you know I don't smoke."  
  
"Figures." He sat beside him, resting his chin on his knees. ".......how are   
they?"  
  
"The girls? Well, from the letters they send me, it sounds like they're ok..."   
Vash's mind jumped to Meryl. Did she care about him anymore? ANYMORE?? What was   
he thinking? It didn't seem like she ever did to begin with. He tried to shake   
the thought from his mind.  
  
Wolfwood placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You know there's a small   
flame in your heart for that girl ,and just don't want to fuel it."  
  
"............"  
  
"...........that was a nice thing you did.." but he was cut off.  
  
"I'm sorry, Wolfwood..."  
  
Wolfwood slapped him on the back. "Five years now, and you're still   
apologizing." He smirked. "You can't do anything about it now."  
  
Vash clenched his fist, and spoke through gritted teeth. "You don't think I know   
that?" He fist shook with anger. He wanted to hit him, but what good would that   
do. A sadness washed over him, making him release his fist. "That's how it   
always is...I can never save anyone...those I care about. I thought 'Here's the   
one person I can count on...a friend...the one stable thing in my life besides   
the disaster that followed me around'." He brought his hands to his face,   
feeling the tears soak into the cuffs of his shirt.  
  
"Needle-noggin..." Wolfwood pulling Vash to him, resting him against his knees,   
patting him on the back for comfort. He smiled. "So, you thought of me as a   
friend, huh?"  
  
He muffled through his hands."Of course." He wiped his cheeks against his   
sleeves. "Didn't you?"  
  
"...not at first." He patted Vash's head, like he would to a child. In his heart   
and mind, Vash was still a child that needed guidance. "But I'm still glad I met   
you...my friend." Wolfwood rested his head on Vash's, giving him a reassuring   
hug that he meant it. "Now you have to go meet the girls."  
  
"Yeah....the both of them are going to start worrying."  
  
"Those two are not the only ones waiting for you..."  
  
"......what?"   
  
Wolfwood rose to his feet, conking Vash lightly on the head. "Later, Needle-  
noggin." And he seemed to be swallowed by the darkness.  
  
  
*Naikii=phonetically, Nike, the goddess of victory 


	2. Chapter Two of Twelve

Vash awoke to see the orange glow on the opposite horizon that the sun had set   
on. He felt the moisture on his cheek when he started to rub the sleep from his   
eyes. His eyes were tired from shedding so many tears for so many years for so   
many people. And yet, it always seemed to be a welcome release from the pain.  
  
"Later, Wolfwood." He did a small salute towards the stars.  
  
After slapping his cheeks a few times to rid the fuzziness in his mind, he   
started the engine. It coughed, trying to warm itself up from the extreme cold   
it slept through during the night. Eventually, it was warm enough, a small mist   
rising from the hood of the car, and Vash continued on his way.  
  
The sun was a few meters above the horizon; surprisingly it wasn't pelting the   
land with an unbearable heat. Not yet anyways. Vash finally pulled the car up to   
a hotel, leapt out of the car and stretched his arms over his head, cracking his   
shoulders and knuckles.  
  
"Insurance girls!" he shouted out to the entrance of the dusty building.  
  
"We have names, you know." Meryl stormed out, her arms crossed in front of her.   
"You were supposed to be here yesterday evening." Her eyebrows were furrowed,   
her eyes pierced into his, waiting for whatever stupid reason for being late he   
had this time.  
  
"Yes, Vash-san. We were worried about you." Milly strolled out with the usual   
cheery smile on her face.  
  
"No...no we weren't!" Meryl spluttered. "He could have been drinking all night   
or entertaining himself with some hookers, instead of being here!"  
  
He coughed, trying to put his 2 cents in. "The people of former-July...I was   
helping them to rebuild..."  
  
".........."  
  
"That was so nice of you, Vash-san!"  
  
Meryl and Vash signalled for her to keep her voice down. Vash was supposed to   
be dead to everyone now, so the 60 billion reward went uncollected. Only a few   
people knew what happened in those two years, and this was the day that the   
group of 3 would revisit those who did know; a reunion of sorts.  
  
Vash scratched the back of his head. ".....how's Knives?"  
  
"You'd get a better answer if you asked me yourself."  
  
"Knives." The tall dust-blonde man strolled out of the hotel, a cheery smile on   
his face. At one time, that smile would mean something completely different.  
  
(Flashback)  
  
"Knives, you need to stop this foolishness!"  
  
"Foolishness? YOU'RE the foolish one! Can't you see that we will always be the   
superior ones?" Knives struggled against the bonds that held him to the bed. His   
hair was a faint ash-gray colour. It had turned black shortly after Vash had   
brought him back from their "childish fight" 3 weeks ago, but it was slowly   
returning to it's original colour.  
  
"Who? Who determines that? WHO says that we ARE the superior ones, Knives?" Vash   
was seated next to the bed. He lowered his head to his knees, rubbing the sore   
spot at the base of his neck. He had been there all day trying to make sense of   
his brother, as he had been doing since for those past 3 weeks. "And don't you   
dare say that you do." With those words, he raises his head, glaring at his   
brother.  
  
"And why not?" Knives smirked evilly, knowing that those kinds of answers also   
sent Vash into a frenzy.  
  
"BECAUSE! Because you're NOT the decider of everyone's fate!" He jumped to his   
feet, sending the chair falling back to the wall. "You don't know everyone on   
this planet!"  
  
"And you do?" He had kept his eyes closed the entire time, but he opened them   
for the satisfaction of seeing Vash choke back on one of his one questions.  
  
"No....I don't. But that doesn't mean that all of them are terrible people,   
willing to kill each other to survive. I've met..."  
  
"What were people's reaction when they found out you were the Humanoid Typhoon?"   
Knives interrupted. "How did they react when they knew that you were the cause   
of the incident at July? Hmph. I'm sure they welcomed you with open arms." He   
retorted sarcastically.  
  
"Don't. Don't you DARE blame that incident on me!" Knives noticed his brother's   
clenched fists; a small trickle of blood dripped down his right one.  
  
"So, are you going to hit me now?" He closed his eyes, smiling victoriously.  
  
Vash released the tension of his arms, driving away the anger from his mind.   
"Knives, what happened after I brought you back?"  
  
"Well, I've been lying in this bed ever since, so not much." he said   
nonchalantly.  
  
"That's true." Vash turned, replacing the chair in its former position and took   
his seat. "A better question to ask would be who has been taking care of you   
ever since?"  
  
"..........."  
  
"Who, Knives?"  
  
"............"  
  
Vash rested his chins on his knuckles, trying the best to surpress the smile   
that was trying to surface. He knew that something had hit a nerve. "You know   
who...those who you call "weak selfish humans."  
  
"I don't like being pitied..."  
  
"Pity? That's the last thing I'd call it. The girls CARE, Knives. One of them   
despises you for what you did to my friend, but I don't see her giving you the   
slap-around you deserve."  
  
"........."  
  
"And what benefits are the possibly getting out of it, Knives? None whatsoever.   
They help because they hate seeing people hurt."  
  
"Don't you DARE call me a person. I am NOT a filthy human."  
  
"Aren't you? Are you any better than Steve?"  
  
".....Steve?" Knives eyes shot open, but the memory of the terrible man who   
called him a monster came back to him.  
  
"He never understood what we were, and he didn't want to. Can you really say you   
know what humans are really like?"  
  
"......"  
  
"Knives...you know what I'm saying is true....or might even have a hint of   
sounding remotely sensible."  
  
"....I was doing it for you, Vash..."  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"...you were with her all the time. When I saw you crying after you told me   
about Steve, I never wanted you to be hurt again. How could I trust humans after   
they hurt you? I never knew what you were feeling. You never told me anything.   
You....I heard you told Rem you loved her. I wanted those words to be for me..."  
  
This was a revelation. Vash never took Knives' feelings into consideration.   
Guilt washed over him; Knives was neglected of the brotherly love that Vash was   
supposed to show him. He never saw things through Vash's eyes.  
  
"I wanted you to myself, Vash. I wanted you to tell me those words."  
  
A hint of a tear appeared at the corner of his eye.  
  
The sight of it overwhelmed Vash's heart, causing him to leap from his chair and   
embrace his tied-down brother. "Knives...."  
  
"She was burned into your mind....I was nothing to you."  
  
"Knives...stop it..."  
  
"When did you ever tell me anything?"  
  
"Knives..."  
  
"Why didn't you..."  
  
"I love you, Knives. You're my brother. I'm sorry....Rem was always open to me.   
Ever since you killed that spider..."  
  
".....I guess I have problems expressing myself." Knives smiled a little, hoping   
to lighten the heavy mood from the air.  
  
"Well, with what you went through, I guess I can't really blame you." He pressed   
his cheek to Knives', their tears mixing on the pillow.  
  
(End Flashback)  
  
Vash winked at Knives. "Nice uniform, by the way."  
  
Knives glanced down at his suit: a white shirt, a navy blue tie around his neck,   
untied to keep his neck cool, and a navy blue pants. "Does it clash with my   
eyes?" Knives batted his eyes jokingly, striking a rather effeminate pose.  
  
Merly pressed her forehead to her hands. "THESE were the 2 most feared men six   
years ago?!!" She gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to clock the two. Well,   
maybe not Knives....his ice-blues still sent a surge of fear through her spine. 


	3. Chapter Three of Twelve

"So how's the new job?" Vash was sitting in the passenger's seat, letting Knives drive the rest of the way. The 2 girls were in the back.  
  
"Eh. It's a job. A desk job at that."  
  
"And WHAT is wrong with a desk job?" Meryl leaned over between them.  
  
"Nothing! Nothing. But honestly, wasn't it more exciting working out in the field rather than sitting at a desk typing up papers all day?"  
  
He had a point. And Meryl hated it when people had a point. And even more when they were right about it.  
  
She huffed, returning to her seat. Milly tried her best to repress her chuckles, but she couldn't help it. Meryl quickly shut her up with a piercing stare.  
  
"You've changed." Vash glanced over his shoulder at the girls; his gaze was more towards Meryl. And she felt her face reddening.  
  
"Do you like it?" Milly had cut her hair to a length right above her shoulders, and had surprisingly dyed it a darker brown than her natural hair had been. Meryl, on the other hand, had gone in the opposite direction. He had let her hair grow to a reasonable length, a little past her shoulders.  
Vash nodded. "Yes, it fits you."  
"My sisters hated me cutting my hair, but my brothers loved it. They think it made me look "cute, yet more mature", I think they said."  
  
He chuckled. returning his eyes to the road. "Yes, in a way they're right." He had wanted to Meryl to answer as well. He enjoyed whenever she talked about herself, because he knew nothing past her name, her job and her bad temper.  
Meryl, on the other hand, felt stupid for not speaking up for what she wanted to say. She enjoyed sharing things about herself, making her feel that someone actually cared. Sure, Milly was there. But...honestly to say...she wasn't really the best person to carry a lengthy conversation with.  
  
"You should've grown your hair a long time ago..."  
  
She said thank you to him in her heart. She wanted to keep the front of being thought of as a tough girl to deal with; like a sense of authority. Or controlling what people thought they thought of her. But inside....inside. She wanted to be loved. And she wanted to show someone love. It felt like her insides were rotting away with the facade she kept up. But no more.  
  
"Should we go to dinner after our plans for the day?" Knives glanced over his shoulder at the girls, waiting for their approval.  
  
"Pudding!" Milly jumped out of her seat, almost falling out of the car.  
  
"Milly!" Meryl grabbed at the belt of the big girl, hoping she could stop her from doing so.  
  
After a few hours of somewhat silence (Vash and Knives ran small jokes between each other that either didn't last very long, or ended at a terrible punchline), the car finally pulled up to a church.  
  
THE church.  
  
" Well, we're here."  
  
They all sat there in silence, looking over the glass-stained windows of the abandoned church. The other 3 noticed Knives swallowing hard, the guilt weighing down on his face. Surprisingly, Milly was the first one out and heading into the church before the others got out of the car. She turned, smiling sadly back at the others.  
  
"I think we should go in one by one."  
  
Vash nodded, knowing that she, as well as he, had private things that they each wanted to say in paying their respects. Vash stood by the doorway, while the other two remained by the car. After a few minutes, he noticed Milly rising to her feet and making a small cross in front of her chest. His turn. So in he went.  
  
In passing Milly, she stopped by his side. "Vash-san, I know this sounds crazy, but......do you see Wolfwood in your dreams?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
"And....and he talks to you?" She swallowed the tears back.  
  
He nodded.  
  
She shook her head, chuckling a bit; it was her way of keeping her emotions in control. "Then I guess I'm not crazy."  
  
"No one ever said you were. You're probably the most sane out of all of us." He rested a reassuring arm on her shoulder.  
  
"...thank you..."  
  
They each paid their own respects to the chain-smoking priest; Knives took the longest.  
  
"On to dinner?" Knives' voice wavered. Vash could tell it was hard for someone like Knives to bring himself to do something like that.  
  
They nodded in agreement. And off they went.  
  
It was 2 minutes to the next bar/diner, as it was only on the other side of town. They settled themselves in, ordered their meals and tried to carry on some kind of conversation that didn't involve anything with that church. Eventually, the evening stage show began. Vash asked the others what if they wanted any drinks besides the ones they ordered. 1 beer for Knives, a strawberry daiquiri for Meryl, a chocolate shake for Milly and a tomato juice for himself. He sat at the bar waiting for the drinks, listening to the tune that the stage performer was belting out.  
  
*"I saw you smiling at me  
Was it real or just my fantasy?  
You'd always be there in the corner  
Of this tiny little bar.  
My last night here for you  
Same old songs, just once more  
My last night here with you?  
Maybe yes, maybe no  
I kind of liked it your way  
How you shyly placed your eyes on me  
Did you ever know  
That I had mine on you?"  
  
He tapped his fingers to the smooth tune and rythmn of the song, catching it quickly in his mind and humming along.  
  
"Here you go." The bartender placed the 4 drinks onto a tray to make it easier for him to carry.  
  
"Thank you very much, sir!" and he placed a generous tip on the bar top.  
  
The song was over by the time Vash returned to the table, the bar filled with hoots, whistles and applause. The singer bowed a thank you and started on the next song.  
  
Meryl started sipping her drink, stretching a bit from the long car ride, when her ears caught some of the lyrics of the song.  
  
²"I keep my love for you to myself  
Endless rain, fall on my heart  
Let me forget all of the hate  
All of the sadness  
As I try to hold you,  
You are vanishing before me  
You're just an illusion  
When I'm awake, my tears have dried  
In the sand of sleep.  
Endless rain, let me stay  
Evermore in your heart  
Let my heart take in your tears  
Take in your memories."  
  
She began to feel a bit flustered, glancing over the table at Vash, but what she was expecting and what she saw were completely different. The brothers had already chugged their drinks, plus about 3 more between each of them, and were now on their fourth. She got up in a huff. She whispered to Milly, "I'll be outside. I need some air, so watch these two, ok? And no drinks for you."  
  
She glanced back over her shoulder, seeing Vash and Knives enjoying their drinks. "Psh. That blubberhead drinks too much." Maybe they were enjoying them way too much. She just hoped Milly wouldn't get hold of any. Hopefully.  
  
Meryl strolled outside of the bar for some fresh air. The sickening twist of smoke and alcohol got to one after a while. And the smell always decided to tag along, sticking to your hair and clothes.  
  
She stood a distance away from the entrance, looking up at the sky, cursing herself for not following her heart. "I'm deceiving myself" she thought. "What's your problem, you stupid girl? You need to stop this foolishness. You KNOW what you want to do, so what the hell is stopping you?"  
  
"Scuse me, m'am?"  
  
"Hmm?" she turned to the person of question, but before she could get a good look at him, his hand was over her mouth and he was forcing her to the side of the building. She struggled to reach for one her spare deringers she decided to carry with her, for safety's sake, but he noticed and twisted her arm away from reaching it. He forced her to the ground, pinning her arms over her head against the wall with one hand and took out a knife with the other. She opened her mouth to scream, but he flashed the knife, bringing it against her neck. The feel of the sharp cold metal against her neck sent a lump to her throat as she shook with fear. He had both her legs pinned against the ground with his body, since he was sitting on them, so she couldn't knee him where it hurt.  
  
"Scream, and it's your life, bitch."  
  
He pulled out some thin wire-like rope, except it was out of metal. Like cables. He twisted it tightly around her wrists and knotted it, looping her arms around his over his shoulders so they were around his body. This brought her face closer to his, where she smelled the stench of a mixture of strong alcohol on his breath. He next worked on tieing her legs together. She did manage to get a few kicks in, but they were useless. The alcohol had dulled the man's sense of pain, but had not hindered his sight. When he had got them tied, he sat himself between her legs, tearing away at her skirt.  
  
Tears came to her eyes. What had she done to deserve this? A surge of pain ran from her stomach straight up to her throat, causing her to cough and choke. She clenched her eyes tight, hating the way her body was reacting to the foul act. Why was he doing this to her?  
  
  
  
Vash........  
  
A fuzzy image of the tall blonde, smiling at her. She saw his lips mouth her name. And the image faded to black.  
  
*- lyrics from Final Fantasy 8 (and if you didn't know that, something's wrong)  
²- lyrics from Endless Rain, by X Japan. It's only the English lyrics, as I can't find the translation of the entire song 


	4. Chapter Four of Twelve

Vash covered his mouth, feeling nauseous from drinking too much alcohol. He glanced at Milly, half-hoping that she hadn't gotten any of it in her system; she had, and she was mumbling random blurbs of nothingness. Knives, on the other hand, was keeping up his end. Guess he dealt with alcohol very well.  
  
"Knives..." he muttered between his fingers. He signalled to the bathroom.  
  
"You never were a very good drinker." He hicupped, his cheeks a bit flush.  
  
Vash hurried on his way, hoping he could get there in time. After finishing his business in the bathroom, he returned, remembering that he hadn't seen Meryl in a while.  
  
"Where'd Meryl go, Milly?" He shook at her shoulders, hoping he could get even a drunkenly slurred answer out of her.  
  
"Mnyuh.....fresh air....nyumnyumnyum....."  
  
"Uh............huh...." The brothers stared at big girl in confusion.  
  
"Pudding!" she screamed, raising her head from the table, which she quickly returned it to with a bang. Vash winced at the sound, hoping she wouldn't wake up with a big bruise the next morning.  
  
'I guess she's outside then.' "Meryl....?" She squinted at the dusty road than ran in front of the bar. Not seeing the small raven-haired girl anywhere, he decided that maybe she had retired early for the night at the hotel. Maybe...it could be his chance...  
  
A glint of metal caught the corner of his eye; it was coming from the side of the bar. From the shape of the reflection, he could tell it was a knife.  
  
'Maybe just some random guy trying to pick a fight'. He stood there, waiting to see if the man would confront him for some money. But there was no movement towards him. But if he had a knife, he was planning on hurting someone. He pretended to be walking back towards the bar, but when he was out of view, he edged towards the side, straining his view around the corner, while at the same time, trying not to be seen. But a metallic glint of another kind made his mind go numb.  
  
Meryl's earrings.  
  
Being in a daze caused his mind to take in the rest of the scene, and it made him sick to his stomach. 'He.....he's raping her.' Before he could realise what he was doing, he had charged around the corner. The man was surprised by how swift Vash was, and before he could formulate what was going on, the blonde was on him like bees to honey. Or like a boxer who was going for a K.O.  
  
Vash pounded his fists against the man's face and body. He lifted him by the collar of his shirt and sent a right hook to his jaw, sending him flying back. But he was on him again as soon as he fell to the ground.  
  
"Bastard! Bastardbastardbastard!" He repeated the word over and over in his head, as if it would take his mind away from the moment, allowing his body to take over. The blows continued; not even Meryl's words could get to him.  
  
Meryl had seen Vash when he had first exited the bar, but what could she do? If she called to him, she'd be dead. But who was to say that the man wouldn't kill her anyway? When he had started beating on the man, she saw the most hate-filled eyes she had ever seen. His voice...she recognised it. It was the same as the one she heard when he had to fight that big bulky guy with all the guns on his body...the one that told her to stay away. To not come near him.  
  
"Vash..." she called out to him softly; she felt pain all over. But it did nothing.  
  
It took Knives to hear the pummeling from inside to stop the massacre that was taking place. He managed to get his arms through Vash's, holding him in an arm lock.  
  
"Stop this!"  
  
"Let me go!" Unknowingly, he had drawn his gun hand, aiming it at the man's head.  
  
"Vash!" Knives wrestled his brother to the ground, trying to bring some sense back to him. The man had zipped up his pants when no one was looking, and flipped the knife in his hand.  
  
"Well, I got what I came for."  
  
Knives flashed one of the most sinister glares he ever had, causing the man to stop in his tracks. "You ok, Vash?" He kept his eyes on the man.  
  
He huffed, his face running with cold sweat. "I....I guess...." Knives felt the tension easing out of his brother.  
  
"Take care of Meryl." He released his grip on him, turning to the man. "What's wrong with you?"  
  
"Nothing. I was simply easing what's in a man's nature", the man sneered.  
  
"And it's a woman's nature to get raped?" he stepped nearer.  
  
"Hey, if they got the equipment, why not use it?"  
  
"Oh." Knives smirked. "So that's your philosophy." He neared even more. "Let's see then...." He cracked his knuckles, still nearing. "I have this equipment here..." he patted his bicep. "So........why not use it?!"  
  
Vash was trying his best to cut at the cables tied around Meryl's wrists and ankles without making eye-contact; she kept her eyes at the ground. Knives' words caused him to stop his work. 'Use....use what?!?' "KNIVES!"  
  
He motioned to Vash that he had everything under control and that he was not resorting to THAT. Knives simply took the man's arm, and in one swift movement he gave it a quick twist; Vash didn't even wince from the satisfying crunch of a broken bone. But he returned his attention to the case at hand. He slipped the cables off, looking for something to cover her with.  
  
"Knives! Get the blanket from the car!"  
  
He was on it, and returned just as quickly, throwing the ragged bundle to Vash. He wrapped it around Meryl; she flinched under his touch.  
  
"Are....are you ok, Meryl?" She still refused to look at him, pulling her knees to her chest. She shook with fear, feeling disgusted. Every movement sent a surge of pain through her thighs and stomach. ".......Meryl?" Her ears were deaf to his words. He reached out to comfort her, to let her know that she wasn't worthless, that she still meant something to him....  
  
She recoiled from him, crying into the stained tattered rag for a blanket. He could feel a lump lurching from his heart straight to his throat. He tried hard to swallow away the pain, but this time it was too much for him to bear. He couldn't hide it anymore; the tears flowed down his cheeks. This time he wanted Meryl to see how much he hurt, how much pain he felt. But she refused to look at him. She wanted to be alone; she wanted time to herself...she NEEDED time to herself. Right now.  
  
Knives merely stood there, unsure of what he should do. His brother was sitting there crying, and the insurance girl was in a depressed and traumatised state. He sat by his brother, trying his best to comfort him, but it was to no avail. Knives stared at the night sky, stroking his brother's hair (Vash's head now rested on his brother's shoulder).  
  
'Why...........? WHY????' He bit his lip, a trickle of blood drifted down his chin. 


	5. Chapter Five of Twelve

The car rumbled along on the road, occasionally jerking on the bumps. Only the sound of the engine was apparent, as the group travelled on in silence. None of them knew what to say to each other. Meryl was still in distress, wrapped in the same tattered cloth from head to toe. She didn't want to see sunlight, or anything for that matter. She wanted to shrivel away and disappear. She even refused to let Milly touch her; she was in a void, or a black hole. It was at this time that she resented the fact that she had senses. Right now, she needed them to be dead. Vash was merely staring on at the road ahead, replaying the events of the night before in his head. It's not like he wanted to, it was just his nature. Knives was as uncomfortable as ever, due to his lack of people skills. Milly was staring at her hands on her lap. She was tired of seeing everyone down like this. What made it worse was that she was drunk, and if she hadn't been, maybe.........just maybe.........she could have prevented what happened to her senior. She sighed, feeling the heavy air of the depression weigh on her shoulders.  
  
"Who are we going to see again?" she chimed in, trying to at least take their minds off of last night..........even if it was for a while.  
  
"Um....Marianne, is it?" Knives directed his eyes towards Vash  
  
Vash nodded. "Remember? The girl that kinda looked like me? She was working for that stingy guy who kept the water from the town."  
  
"Oh yeah! She was nice."  
  
"Well.......except for the fact that she lied to us....."  
  
"Is that anyway to talk, Mr. Vash?" Milly leaned over the seat. "You kinda lied to us."  
  
"No I didn't!" He glared back at her, jokingly. "I just......", he shrugged, ".......never told you about myself. You never really ASKED if I was the Humanoid Typhoon." Vash smiled, glad that he actually made sense.  
  
But that smile quickly disappeared as his thoughts returned to their former subject matter. The pain of Meryl's expression was what hurt him most. Seeing the pain all over again....the familiar lump to his throat was returning. Knives could see the pain bearing down on his brother on his face; he placed his hand on the seat between them, palm up. Without looking, Vash took it and gave it a good firm squeeze. It was almost the only solid thing he had right now, in the hazy daze he was in right now.  
  
They coasted through the town, looking for the house that was described to them in the letter. The car stopped in front of a large house of gray brick with a large white door and frosted glass windows on the first floor.  
  
"Looks like we're here." Knives looked over the house, admiring the worksmanship. And 5 years ago, he wanted to kill humans. Terrible, terrible irony.  
  
Vash hesitated to go inside, his sad eyes falling on the covered, huddled mass of the raven-haired girl in the back seat. Milly and Knives reassured him that what Meryl really needed right now was some time alone; Knives volunteered to stay in the car with her, since he didn't really know the girl. So Milly went up to knock, but it was a really thick heavy door, from the muffled sound of the knocks.  
  
"I.....think maybe this?" Vash pushed a shiny blue button that was by the door. A ringing came from the other side.  
  
" Ooooo!!!" Milly stared at the button in surprise and awe. Mesmerized, she began pushing the button over and over again, enjoying the cheerful ring that it made.  
  
"Milly!" Vash tried to pull her hands away from the button, trying not to hurt her. "She's gonna think we're impatient idiots!"  
  
The door opened to a slightly tan girl, her long blond hair in a tight braid, dressed in a crimson skirt and white blouse with small frills at the ends of the sleeves. She gasped. "It's.....it's you!" She covered her mouth to stop herself from screaming in joy. The smile on her face made Vash's heart just a bit more happy than it was before. "Come in! Come in!"  
  
"It's nice to see you again, Marianne." Milly took off her heavy coat and hung it on the coat rack that hung behind the door.  
  
"As it is to see you two......" Marianne smiled cheerfully. "Would you like something to drink? By the way, wasn't there one more...."  
  
"Do you have pudding?!?" Milly's eyes twinkled, gladly taking the chance to interrupt to save Vash anymore pain. And he smiled a thank you to her.  
  
Marianne nodded. A scramble of footsteps to the kitchen left Vash and Marianne alone staring at each other. "Well, shall we go to the living room?" She led the way, as Vash looked around at the furnishings of the house.   
  
"Wow....you did well with the money you collected from sending that guy in."  
  
"It was all for the good of the people." She took a seat on a chair opposite from the door, leaving the red couch across from her for Vash. "How's life been treating you?"  
  
He smiled one of his fake smiles when he didn't want anyone to know he was hurting, and scratched the back of his head. "It's not bad." He kicked the thought of talking about Meryl in it's ass.  
  
Milly left the kitchen and was surprised not to see the pair there. "Vash-san? Marianne-san?"  
  
The distant voice of Vash came from upstairs, "We're up here, Milly."  
  
The three spoke of what happened over the past few years; Milly chose to leave out her relation to Wolfwood, for two very important reasons. One being the obvious, and the other being the fact that Marianne didn't even know who Wolfwood was to begin with. But Vash relayed the entire story of who and what he was, and why he travelled all those years, that he found his brother and talked some sense into him.  
  
"Would you like to meet him?" Vash stood from his chair, extending his hand.  
  
"I'd love to." Marianne took his and exited the room before him. Vash stood by the doorway and bowed, jokingly, letting the 2 girls leave before him. Milly tried her best to surpress her giggles, glad that Vash was in a bit of a better mood.  
  
Introductions were exchanged away from the car, as they knew Marianne would obviously ask what the wrapped mass in the backseat was. Marianne actually seemed a bit flirtatious with Knives, which made for an extremely hilarious scene. Knives looked flustered, with bright red cheeks; Vash was in his own fluster because he couldn't understand why she hadn't fallen for his good looks when they first met. He and Knives WERE twins after all. Must have been the hair.  
  
It came time for them to leave and they bid their goodbyes. Marianne even blew a kiss to Knives, who quickly jumped into the backseat, urging Vash to start the car and hurry on. Milly couldn't help but die from laughing.  
  
"Never again......"Knives mumbled to himself, crossing his arms like he felt someone had invaded his....."privacy".  
  
"Aw, come on, Knives. Lighten up." Milly leaned over the backseat, her hair whipping over her face. "You need to know how to get along with women."  
  
"I get along with you and Meryl just fine, thank you." He raised an eyebrow at her.  
  
"You don't see us flirting with you, do you?" She smirked.  
  
"Hmph." And that was the end of the discussion. "Where're we going next?"  
  
Vash held the map down on the steering wheel with his thumbs, keeping the rest of his fingers gripped on the wheel, and his eyes darted back and forth from the map to the road.  
  
"..................Rina...." A bittersweet sadness filled his heart.  
  
  
  
  
  
*Alright, I'm sorry to pull all of you out of the sudden depression from the last chapter so quickly, but I wanted to save all of it for the rest of the chapters. I mean, anymore and I'D get depressed about writing the rest of this fic. Plus, it also has to be due to the fact that I've been listening to Two-Mix songs through all this fic. ^_^' Don't worry. For the next chapter, I'll be listening to Blue from Cowboy Bebop.........and that song never fails to get me in a down mood. So get ready to sink back into the angst of..........*drum roll* "REUNION"! *takes a bow* 


	6. Chapter Six of Twelve

"Rina........" Vash let the name roll around in his mind. It had been so long. He sighed, shutting his eyes. He remembered the brown-red of her hair, those clear blue eyes. She was fourteen at the time......he bet she had blossomed into a beautiful young woman, with the most caring heart he had ever met.  
  
"Vash-san?" Milly shook him hard by the shoulders. He had forgotten that he was the one driving. He jerked on the steering wheel to avoid a wild Thompson, causing the car to begin fish-tailing. He eventually regained control; he felt his head pounding to the same steady rythmn that his heart was dancing to, to the point that it began to hurt. He rubbed at his temples.  
  
"Are you ok?" Milly asked in concern. "Should I drive?" Vash stared at her with eyes like he was seeing her for the first time, but he regained his composure and blinked.  
"S...sure..." he pulled the car over to the side of the road.....or desert. Whatever. They exchanged places and continued on their way. Knives had drifted off to sleep earlier, his body jerking and moving with each bump and turn that was made. Meryl..........no one had a clue whether she was conscious or not. They decided they needed to give her more time. "She'll come out on her own time." Knives claimed earlier.  
  
So Milly continued the drive, suggesting that Vash take a nap before they reached their destination. He had tried to best to fall asleep, but it was known that the harder you force sleep, the harder for it to come naturally. Instead, he let his thoughts linger and eventually, the sleep took him over.  
  
"Hey, needle-noggin." Wolfwood had a sad smile on his face, knowing that nothing right now could really cheer him up. A long period of awkward silence stood between the two, until Wolfwood broke it.  
  
"It's not your fault...."  
  
"Does it look like I'm blaming myself?" Vash snapped at him. He didn't care anymore......all the pain made him feel numb.  
  
Taken aback, Wolfwood tried to think what was going through his head. "Then......."  
  
"Maybe............." he turned his face away from Wolfwood; he didn't want to see the priest's expression when the words left him. "....maybe Knives was right, all those years ago. I want that man dead, Wolfwood!" He tightened his fists to the point of them bleeding. "That moment...when I saw what he was doing to Meryl, I never felt so much hate in my life. Does.....does that make me like Knives? Maybe the entire human race IS a big disgrace..." He fell to his knees and in one swift motion, he rammed his head against the ground (or what can be called ground in that blackness).  
  
"Vash!" Wolfwood ran to his side to ensure he was ok. Vash lifted his head, a trickle of blood running over his right eye, but the image of the priest became fuzzy and his voice was becoming higher. Soon the image was replaced with one of Milly, who looked extremely concerned.  
  
"Vash-san! Your head!" Milly had stopped the car when she saw Vash's head crash onto the dashboard out of the corner of her eye. It couldn't have been caused by a bump, since she had been driving smoothly; it looked more to her like he did it intentionally. "Are you ok?" She pressed her finger tips to the wound on his head. He winced, replying that he was ok. Milly commented that they were close to the town.  
  
"How close?"  
  
"Well....it's within walking distance. So it should only take us a few seconds."  
  
When they arrived, they decided to check into a hotel first, as Vash knew that he wanted to see Rina for more than just a day. Knives tended to Vash's wounds, including the bruises and cuts on his palms.  
  
"Did that cat get to you again?" Knives joked. To no avail.  
  
After a few hours of healthy napping they drove off to the house that had been described to them. When they arrived, Knives and Milly opted to go shopping for dinner instead, as they knew that it was a more private affair for Vash. Meryl, as usual, was left in the car.  
  
"Alright." Vash re-ensured himself. "I'm not going to get anything out of this by just standing here at staring at the house." He brought himself up the steps and knocked on the door. The few seconds of silence between the knocks and the moment the door was opened seemed like an eternity.  
  
Rina was dressed in blue jeans and a pale yellow button-up shirt, and she had resorted to keeping her hair short. And her eyes were still the same clear blue that had always been. She still looked like the same girl Vash had met five years ago, but he straightened it in his mind that she was now nineteen. And as pretty as ever.  
  
"...................hello, Rina." Vash's smile was filled with sentiment and pain for leaving her those many years ago.  
  
Rina stood there in shock, her mouth open in awe. Here was the man that she hadn't seen in so long. The man that had saved her by disgracing himself. The first man she ever really felt close to. He was also the first man to cause such a painful weight on her heart, when he left. The image in her vision distorted as she felt the tears wash over her eyes. She stumbled forward, unsure of what should be done or said. Luckily, Vash picked up on this and stepped forward, wrapping his lengthy arms around her.  
  
"I'm sorry..........I'm sorry I left......but I had to." Rina melted into him. It felt so comforting to hold him again. The scars.........the thought of it brought more tears to her eyes. "Please......are those tears of joy, or.....?" Vash pulled her away from him for a moment, wiping a tear from her cheek with his thumb.  
  
"Just hush....." She took his hands and placed them around her shoulders for another embrace. A bitter sweetness filled Vash's heart. He had felt a metallic coldness on Rina's left hand.  
  
  
*Alright. I lied. I didn't listen to Blue while writing the fic. It was Rain instead. ^^  
  
I don't feel a thing and I stopped remembering  
The days are just like moments turned to hours  
Mother used to say if you want, you'll find a way  
Bet mother never danced through fire shower  
Why do I feel so alone  
For some reason I think of home.  
  
^^' Just a few of the lyrics of the song. Great song. Download now! ) And I must apologize for making Meryl look like just another object they're toting around. Don't worry....she'll jump right back into the story in the next chapter. ^_^x 


	7. Chapter Seven of Twelve

"So.....how long has it been?" Her voice had pulled him out of his daze; he had been sitting across from her in the living room for what seemed like an eternity to him. He didn't know why he found it so hard to look at her. Did he feel betrayed? He shook the thought from his head. What was he thinking?! She's a teenager! He wished someone could slap him right now, so he'd have some pain to think about.  
  
"Vash....?"  
  
"Hm?" He raised his eyes to her, surprised.  
  
"I....I asked how long it's been." She eyed him quizzically. He didn't look too right, so she decided to pour him a drink. "Are you ok?" She slid the glass gently across the table, leaving water trails behind.  
  
"Yeah....yeah." He realised he had been holding his breath for a long time, and let it out in one big sigh. "Wonderful." Again, he put on one of his I-don't-want-you-to-know-about-my-pain smiles. Rina could feel that something wasn't right, but she decided to shake it off. "So....um...." he coughed, stumbling over his words, but he mentally kicked himself to say them. "You're engaged now?"  
  
She stared at him in surprise. She had mentioned nothing to him about the ring, but...could one really get anything past this man? She smiled, a light pink glow forming on her cheeks. "Well.....it's from someone very special. But I wouldn't exactly call it engaged. He.....the guy hasn't really told me how he feels."  
  
Vash pushed his own feelings back and decided to help the young girl out instead. "Really? How long has it been since he's given you the ring?" He took a sip of his drink to calm his nerves....and quench the dryness that had suddenly formed in his mouth.  
  
"It's been a long time now." Her head lowered in embarassment.  
  
He raised his eyebrow. "Do you think it's fair to wait for a guy who's making you wait? That you're only hoping that he'll tell you what you want to hear?"  
  
She shook her head, a sad yet proud smile on her face. "He's not making me wait. I know he's just waiting for the right time."  
  
Vash tried his best not to slam the glass on the table. "Are you sure?" He didn't want to see Rina waste her life away on a guy that didn't deserve her.  
  
"If you knew him the way I did...." her eyes moved slowly from the ring that was on her finger to the man that sat in front of her, "...you'd think the same way." Her smile reassured him that she knew what she was talking about, and he had nothing to worry about. He nodded, pulling himself to his feet and crossed the room to her. He took his hands in hers and gestured for her to stand up, causing her cheeks to flush even more. He hugged her tightly and whispered a congratulations. Suddenly, he withdrew from her, his eyes wide with fear.  
  
"What's the noise?" His head whipped around to the window. "Is that rain?" Now that the Plant system was functional, there was now more greenery on the once barren planet, enough to generate an annual rainfall. But when it rained, it poured. Heavily.  
  
Meryl!  
  
Before Rina could realize that it was in fact raining, Vash was already out of the room and through the front door. He had no idea how long it had been raining, but by the sight of the wrapped bundle of Meryl, that was now soaked through, it had been apparently raining for a long time. He didn't mean to be rough with her, but he needed to get her inside quickly before she got sick. And considering the mental condition she was in right now, it would be difficult for her to get over a common cold.  
  
"Rina! RINA!" Vash screamed, as he tried to tear off the wet cloth from the raven-haired girl's body. "RINA!!!" Why wasn't she answering? "I need a towel, dammit! RI-" He spun around to scream the girl's name again, but stopped short when he saw that she was right behind him, a towel in her hands. There was fear in her eyes; she had never seen him this way....in a long time. She realised.....that look was reserved for those he cared for, the look that he was concerned with their condition. But she merely placed the towel in his hands.  
  
"I'll get another one." She had tried her best not to sound hurt, and she wasn't sure if she succeeded. She returned with another towel and help Vash remove Meryl's clothes, save her underwear. They wrapped her in the warm, dry towels; it had been a long time since Vash had seen Meryl's face and it was like seeing it for the first time all over again. Except it was not the bright, cheery, short-tempered girl he saw.  
  
Thick dark circles were around her eyes, which were severly blood-shot like she hadn't gotten any sleep since the incident, and her eyes stared blankly into nothing with dilated pupils. But could anyone blame her? Her cheeks were slightly sunken in, from the reduction of nourishment she usually had (she was considerably lighter when Vash picked her up from the car), and her skin was pale and dry from the lack of sun and exposure.  
  
"What....what's wrong with her?" Rina swallowed hard, trying hard not to stare at Meryl's face as she dried her with the towel.  
  
"Can we talk about that later?" He spoke through clenched teeth. He worked with a maddening fever, avoiding Meryl's eyes at all costs. If he saw them......if he saw them....! "Is there somewhere I can put her?"  
  
"Sure....she can stay in my room." Vash glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, questioning whether it was right for him to impose. She merely nodded her head. "It's ok. She's sick and she needs help. Now carry her up there." She hurried off to the back room, where she kept her first aid kit. She heard Vash's steps thunder on the staircase and eventually die away after the slamming of a door.  
  
Why? Why did she always follow these stupid dreams of hers?  
  
*flashback*  
  
It was three hours after Vash left with his preacher friend, and she was still wrapped in the sheet that was covered with his hair. She wished it could be his arms that comforted her. For those three solid hours, she had been crying her eyes out on the front porch, watching one of the 2 suns set. Her grandmother had gone out to buy dinner, leaving the girl for some time alone. She cursed at herself for being such a hopeless romantic, dragging her heels into the house to wash her face. Passing the dining room, she noticed a small glint of gold out of the corner of her eye. When she turned to look at where it came from, it disappeared. Deciding it was a trick of the eyes, she continued past the room. But as she took another step, it appeared again. She again turned to see what it was, but this time it didn't disappear. She steadied her pace towards the table, rubbing her eyes. It was ring. Lying there in the middle of the table.  
  
A ring?*  
  
Did....did he leave it for her?  
  
It was the hopeless romantic part of her that convinced her that the ring was for a purpose, a meaning. She would only have to wait for him to return to tell her.  
  
*end flashback*  
  
She hurried to her room, but didn't find them there. Realizing she had never told Vash where her room was, she returned to the room they were talking in. She stopped in her tracks when she arrived and heard sobbing from the other side of the door. Vash's voice was muffled, but she knew that for him to cry it had to be something extremely serious. She glanced down at the ring on her finger, thinking it wasn't as shiny as it used to be. She swallowed hard, and gripped on the door knob.  
  
*the rings that Vash wears on his gloves (apparently, he left one behind)  
  
Some things are over  
Some things go on  
Part of me you carry  
Part of me is gone  
But you got a heart so big  
It could crush this town  
And I can't hold out forever  
Even walls fall down  
  
-Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Even walls fall down. I was listening to this throughout the writing. I thought it fit Rina, as well as what Vash would say if he ever found out her thoughts. 


	8. Chapter Eight of Twelve

"Meryl? Meryl, are you ok?" He was kneeling beside the bed, the sheets twisted in his hands which were dotted with his tears. "Please........answer me....I can't take the silence anymore...." His fingers creeped towards her. He wanted to feel her skin again, to know that she was real. That he hadn't lost her. But she cringed away as soon as they got even remotely close to her skin.  
  
"Don't...." Her voice was dry and coarse, and her eyes were still blank and uncaring.  
  
"No, Meryl. YOU don't. You think this is better for you? Or that this is easy for me? Just when I thought that I could protect the ones I love, something like this happens. Everything I touch.......is destroyed...." He clenched his fist; he wanted to grip her arm for comfort, but he knew what would happen.  
  
Meryl couldn't tell what came over her, but she felt an intense rage building up in her. She felt her pace quickening, to the point of her head beginning to throb.  
  
"You know what, Vash? You're absolutely right." She pulled herself to a sitting position, her brows furrowed. "Everything and everyone you touch is destroyed. Gets broken. Is killed. Is raped." She had subconsciously placed emphasis on the latter, causing Vash to gasp and stare in disbelief. "That's what you want to hear, isn't it? YOU caused this to happen to me." She threw the covers off her and pulled herself out of the bed. "Sometimes you can be so god-damned selfish, Vash! You! Everything is about you!!! You think you cause everything, don't you? YOU are the beginning and the end. Anything bad that happens is caused by you." She grabbed a pillow and threw it at his head, which he decided not to dodge. "YOU!" Her forehead was dotted with sweat and her breathing was heavy. ".........why? Why the HELL don't you burst that ego bubble of yours?" Her speech became slower and slower, and she started to swagger. "You are NOT the cause of everything....." Her legs buckled and she fell to the floor, crashing to her knees.  
  
"Meryl!" He leapt across the bed to help her up.  
  
"No, Vash! I'm not helpless! Whatever doesn't kill me, makes me stronger." She grabbed the sheets of the mattress and pulled herself up, ignoring Vash. "You think you can help every single person on this planet, and I'll tell you you're dead wrong. You are only ONE person." She curled up across the bed, parallel to Vash, but with her back to him. "So stop trying to make yourself the super hero."  
  
Vash sat there in a daze, trying to figure out where these words had come from. No one had ever told him this before, but when he thought about it deeply it did seem to make some sense. But he managed to stir up enough courage, but not after ridding his throat of the big lump that was there.  
  
"Maybe....maybe you are right. That I am selfish. But it is my fault. Imagine how happier the people of this planet would be if we had never come here." He stared at her back, trying to picture the expression on her face.  
  
"Well, that shows how you really feel." She turned, and her face had the most frightening scowl Vash had ever seen. "You wish I was never alive, you jerk."  
  
"That.....that's not what..." He choked. Why was she doing this to him? Why was she turning his words around to hurt him like this? Had he really lost her?  
  
"Vash.....just leave me alone, ok?"  
  
"But..."  
  
"You know where the door is." And that was where the conversation ended.  
  
~*~Somewhere else~*~  
  
"Boy, this rain is really coming down." Knives stood there on the porch of the store, his hand outstretched palm up to see how hard the rain was falling.  
  
"We can't just stay here! We have to get to Meryl." Milly looked around nervously; she would've stolen the nearest umbrella, anything for her best friend.  
  
"Don't worry. Vash would have HAD to notice the rain and saved her before she got too soaked."  
  
"No! I don't care! We're going!" She grabbed his arm and dashed into the rain, but she got pulled back.  
  
"The food will get soaked." He motioned to the paper bags.  
  
"The food, Knives? THE FOOD?! Fine. If you want to save the food, then here!" She shoved her bag into his hands and took off into the heavy downpour alone.  
  
"What...? Now what's got her so upset?" He looked down at the two bags, and heavy guilt washed over him. "Dammit!" He returned inside and asked the store keeper to keep the bags for him until he returned. And then he took off after Milly into the heavy gray blanket of fog and rain. Surprisingly, he ran faster than he thought he could, as he arrived at Rina's place a few seconds after Milly had disappeared through the doorway. When he got inside, he shook a bit of water from his hair, but he didn't expect what happened next. And neither did Milly.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO?!" Vash towered over them, his voice screeching. "DIDN'T YOU SEE THAT IT WAS RAINING? WHY DIDN'T YOU-"  
  
"Vash!" Rina shook his arm from where she stood behind him. "Screaming causes nothing but more tempers and a sore throat." He had rushed from the room and collided into her when she was carrying the extra towel to him. But the screaming and thuds caused her to remain outside the door, listening. She never caught any words clearly, but she could tell that it was indeed a private conversation. That she was eavesdropping on. Vash had apologized for crashing into her, but she realized she shouldn't have been standing there. He must have suspected that she had been listening, and she berated herself for committing such a low act. And the bruise that was now on her arm would forever remind her not to do it again.  
  
"What is wrong with you?" Knives never liked to be screamed at, especially when he had done nothing wrong.  
  
"Me? ME?! Both of you could have killed her!"  
  
"Killed her? Vash, you're going a bit overboard...." Milly spoke quietly, feeling a bit uneasy.  
  
"Am I now? Suppose I hadn't heard it raining, she'd be dead!"  
  
"Oh please!" Knives flung his arms up into the air. "You are being riduculous!"  
  
"No, Knives! YOU'RE being an ass for not wanting to help her."  
  
"Vash..." Milly tried her best to calm the brothers down.  
  
"Who's the ass that couldn't hear the rain falling?"  
  
"Vash." She nudged him in his side.  
  
"You knew I had business to take care of!"  
  
"Vash!" She shook his arm this time, but he still ignored her.  
  
"More important than your girlfriend?"  
  
"She's NOT my girlfriend!"  
  
"VASH!" This time, she punched him in the arm, hard.  
  
"OW! WHAT???" Milly turned towards the stairs, and Vash followed her gaze. Meryl stood there at the top of the stairs, hugging a pillow to her chest for comfort.  
  
"Just because....you're not the cause of everyone's problems....doesn't mean you should go blame others, you jerk." She was swaying a bit, and lost her balance, but Rina was there to prevent her from crashing to the floor and brought her back to her room.  
  
~*~Outside~*~  
  
The rumble of a motor bike echoed against the thick fog, as bright yellow and pink neon lights reflected against the gray. The rumble died, as it pulled up outside Rina's house.  
  
"Hmph. Even the weather is jealous of me making a brilliant entrance."  
  
  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
Alright, THIS time I was listening to Blue from Cowboy Bebop. Well, it looks like there's some knife-throwing on Meryl's part. Don't worry. It will ALL become clear in the next chapter. To come: some alone time between Knives and Milly (it's NOT like that, you pervs!). And what will happen to Rina? Will she confess her feelings to Vash? And look who's arrived!! ^_^x To the wonderful suggestion of Senshi Nadeshiko.  
  
Asked myself what it's all for  
You know the funny thing about it  
I couldn't answer, no I couldn't answer  
Things have turned a deeper shade of blue  
And images that might be real  
May be illusion  
- lyrics from Cowboy Bebop: Blue 


	9. Chapter Nine of Twelve

'What is wrong with me?' Vash had ran the question through his mind many times. 'Why are things happening this way?' He had been left alone to his thoughts in the kitchen; Rina was taking care of Meryl, and Milly and Knives were in the other room. They were having a bit of a quarrel, but he didn't catch what it was about. Neither did he care. Why now? Why was everything ripping apart at the seams? Just when he left like he had gotten things patched up and solved, it crashed right before his eyes. It felt like he could never do anything right; he was always screwing up others' lives.  
  
Meryl's words returned to his mind.  
  
"You think you cause everything, don't you?"  
  
"Why the HELL don't you burst that ego bubble of yours?"  
  
"So stop trying to make yourself the super hero."  
  
"YOU caused this to happen to me."  
  
He shuddered in fear and self-loathing. 'She's right. It's all my fault. I should have been there to protect her.' He sipped his water to get rid of the lump that was slowing rising in his throat. He didn't realize that his fingers were gripped tightly on the glass, not until it shattered in his hand. But he felt no pain. He stared at his bloody hand, the skin on his fingers torn into shreds. But he felt no pain. The fingers....each had been cut differently, but by the same source.  
  
He was the cause of all his friends' pain.  
  
He yanked the shards of glass out of his hand without wincing, tossing them aside carelessly.  
  
"What's gotten you so upset now, Milly? What went wrong back there?" Knives had his back to her, staring out the window at the heavy downpour.  
  
"Me?! What is WRONG with you, Knives? The food? Is that really what your concern was?" Milly had her fists clenched into tight balls, her eyes staring angrily at his back.  
  
"This isn't about the food, is it?" He glanced over his shoulder at her, his icy blues searched for what had gotten the big girl so irate. She sighed, supporting his conviction that it indeed wasn't the food. "Milly........it's about Wolfwood, isn't it?" Her silence gave him his answer. "Milly....."  
  
"Listen, Knives. I don't need your pity. The past is the past...."  
  
"It's NOT the past if you keep burying yourself in it!" he interrupted. "You think I don't see when you're by yourself? When your face is filled with the pain? Of something I did? That I could have prevented??!" He shook his head. "No, Milly. It only stays in the past if you let it go. And I KNOW you're not going to let go, so don't even bother trying to convince me that I should." He walked towards the girl, seeing tears appearing in the corner of her eyes. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, easing her to the couch. "Now tell me. So I can know. So I can know the terrible things I did, and how much it hurts. Show me how stupid I was to be so blind as to what I wanted. Show me the terrible things I did in order to attain that." He sighed, knowing that he was speaking from his heart, but unsure as to whether she was believing him.  
  
"Why? WHY DO YOU CARE ALL OF A SUDDEN?" She shrugged his hand off her shoulder as she stared at him with hate-filled eyes. "Why? So I'll feel sorry for you? That I won't hate you as much because you'll be wallowing in self-loathing and pity? I'm sorry, but I'm not going to do that." She wiped the tears from her face with the back of her sleeve. "Now I see why Meryl's angry with Vash." She stood to leave the room, but his grip on her wrist prevented her. "Let me go!" She turned to strike him.......but that never happened.  
  
She saw his sad blue eyes, the concern on his face. It wasn't for self-pity. It wasn't for self-loathing. He just wanted to know. To get past this. He knew all the time that Milly kept a facade towards him, that she still hated him for what he did. He wanted to know the pain he had caused so that he would never do something like that ever again. He wanted to form a closeness to someone other than his brother. But he also wanted to know the effects of what he had done. Not the physical damage that people spoke of with their towns; it was the emotional pain.  
  
"Please, Milly." He lowered his head, releasing his grip on her. He had expected to hear the door open and her footsteps disappearing down the hall, but she sat down instead. At the moment she had no words to say, but she knew she would tell him eventually.  
  
"Was...was it hard when you were in the church?" She finally managed to say.  
  
"More difficult that you could ever imagine. It's hard to ask someone for forgiveness when you killed them with your own hands."  
  
"Now now. Wolfwood's a nice guy, so I'm sure he found some way to forgive you."  
  
"Do you really think so?"  
  
"I'm positive about it."   
  
Vash tore off a piece of his shirt, twisting it tightly around his hand to stop the bleeding. He swept the shards of glass together with the toe of his shoe, the tiny pile of glittering pieces resting between his feet.  
  
A knock at the door.  
  
He questioned whether he should answer the door. It wasn't his house.........but Rina was busy with Meryl. And if she came to answer the door, it meant that he'd have to go upstairs in her place.  
  
He opened the door, muttering a non too-polite hello, but the sight prevented the rest of the word from leaving his mouth.  
  
"Oi, Vash." The big man tipped his hat at the blonde-haired Stampede.  
  
"Brilliant Dynamites Neon? What are you....?" He forced his way inside past Vash, throwing himself onto a nearby couch.  
  
"I heard you were having some kind of reunion. What? Was I not included on the MIP* list?" BDN glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.  
  
"Umm...heh heh. No...it's not like that at all. I guess.....we were going to come see you eventually." Vash rubbed the back of his head, hoping that he had given a sufficient answer.  
  
"Hmph." He rested his feet up on the table. "You know, the kid misses you."  
  
'The kid?'   
  
Seeing on his face that he was totally clueless, he decided to enlighten the former Humanoid Typhoon. "The kid....what his name......Kaite?"  
  
Ah! Him! "What's he up to now?"  
  
"Well, he's moving up the ranks....might be the boss of the company someday." He snuffed, lowering his hat over his eyes.  
  
"And what've you been up to?" The question surprised Vash himself. What ELSE could BDN be suited for rather than his usual business?  
  
"Decided to settle down with my wife and kids. Live a brilliant beautiful life."  
  
'BDN? With a wife and kids? She must be a real looker. Not to mention tough.'  
  
  
*Most Important People  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
More of BDN next chapter. And he actually gives Vash some *ahem* BRILLIANT advice. ^_^x Confrontation between Rina and Meryl, but it's not the kind you might think it is.  
Thanks for reading. 


	10. Chapter Ten of Twelve

"From the look on your face, you need some proof." BDN whipped out a photo from his pocket and flicked it across the room to Vash, who caught it gingerly in his fingers. He glanced at him over the edge of the photo, realizing that BDN wasn't as scary-looking as he once was.  
  
He was wearing a plain dark blue pants and a white long-sleeve button up shirt. His hat was the only thing that remotely had any link to who he was, the tiny tubes of neon lights reflecting off the white fabric. He looked remotely smaller compared to the big neon lit suit he used to wear. But he was still a well-built guy, not to mention tall.  
  
"What are their names?" He tossed the photo back to him.  
  
"The wife's name is Rachel, the boy is Samuel and the little girl there is Nina." BDN smiled at the photo, revealing his caring side that he formerly wouldn't, and replaced the photo back into his pocket. It was a bit worn from his travels, but he treasured it dearly. He noticed the sadness in Vash's eyes after he had returned the photo to him. "What's up, Vash the Stampede?"  
  
Vash simply shook his head. "That's not my name anymore, Brilliant Dynamites Neon."  
  
"Nor is that mine. I'm not with the Bad Lad Gang anymore." He tipped his hat, just enough to lock his eyes with Vash's. "It's Michael, now. Michael Neon. Now tell me what's wrong."  
  
Vash didn't know why, but he felt comfortable during the entire time he relayed the story to Michael. He spoke of his confrontation with his brother, the travel he had with the girls. His speech began to stutter and slow as he came upon the event of Meryl's tragedy, but Mr. Neon urged him along, saying that it wasn't brilliant to leave a story hanging like that. There was an eerie silence after Vash had told all that had happened; Neon had his chin resting on his knuckles, deep in thought.  
  
"Have you tried talking to her?"  
  
"Yes.....but that didn't end very well."  
  
"Knowing you, you probably went about it the wrong way. You were blaming yourself again, weren't you?" Vash nodded in reply. "She doesn't care who's to blame. That's not what she wants to hear. There's something more important than what she wants to hear from you, Vash." He pulled the hat back over his eyes, leaving the words to sink into the Stampede's head. "Now where's this brother of yours?" Vash motioned to the room that he and Milly were in. He was too deep in thought to remember that they were disputing over something.  
  
Milly and Knives were smiling with each other, telling each other of their own travels and adventures, when they heard a knocking at the door. They welcomed the person on the other side to enter. Milly stood up in confusion first, and then surprise. At first, she didn't recognise the man that stood in the doorway, but his grin brought the memories back.  
"You!"  
"Hey! It's you, big girl." He tipped his hat in politeness, and turned his eyes to the other individual in the room. Instantly, he could see the resemblance between him and his brother. "And you must be Knives." He extended his large hand over the back of the couch."  
  
"...pleased to meet you..." Knives shook his hand weakly, having no clue who this person was, or how he came to know him.  
  
~*~Upstairs~*~  
  
Rina was wiping Meryl's face with a damp sponge; the raven-haired girl was now asleep. She could tell that she had been through a lot from the stress and wear that was visible in her face and the lines that were beginning to appear under her eyes. What had she been through? Why was she angry with Vash? Was it a lover's quarrel? Had she suffered the same loss that she herself experienced many years ago? She ran them through her mind over and over again. Her eyes fell onto the ring on her finger. Why did she still bother to wear it? She returned the sponge to the bowl and gripped it with her wet fingers, ready to pull it off. A tiny weathered hand stopped her.  
  
"He gave you that ring, didn't he? Meryl peered at the younger girl through heavy swollen eyelids, her hand now resting on the other girl's. Rina wasn't sure how to answer the question. She had convinced herself that Vash had indeed left the ring for her, but now she wasn't sure. If he did indeed have a relationship with this girl..........  
  
'I want him to be mine.'   
  
"Yes. He gave me this ring. Why do you ask?" She tried her best to sound sincere and inquisitive to cover up the horrible lie.  
  
Meryl laid there in silence, staring at the celing. She questioned the motives of Vash's behaviour towards her. She used to think that maybe he liked her even a little bit, but now that thought was smashed. She began thinking of her feelings towards him now; could she hate him? He was always hiding things from her.....was that because he didn't like telling her things? Or was it because he wanted to protect her from something? She shook her head, as she felt a dull pain began to stab at her temples. It was all too confusing for her right now. "Oh....no reason."  
  
Rina saw the defeat in the girl's face...and she felt horrible. She thought that if the girl had given up on her feelings for Vash, she could have him to herself. She thought that that alone would make her happy. She had even played the scenario through her mind. The girl would reject Vash, and Rina would be there to pick up the pieces and show Vash how much he meant to her. And he would learn to love her. But the exact opposite had happened. She hated herself now for doing something so despicable and deceiving.  
  
But she couldn't tell the truth now. She wanted to be selfish; she wanted Vash to herself. She wanted him to be hers. And she would be his in return. And she would make him happy.  
"Rina?" A tiny voice brought her back from her dream world. She recognised the voice and went over to the door, cracking it open a bit. "Is it ok if I talk to Meryl?"  
"Sure. Could you sponge her head? She still has a fever." She let him through and squeezed herself out, closing the door behind her. She half-hoped that things would happen the way she planned.  
  
He took the sponge out of the bowl and squeezed out most of the water; the drops made tiny ringing sounds like a wind chime. He dotted the sweat from her forehead and neck with the damp sponge. Her cheeks were flush with fever, but she trembled slightly.  
  
"Is...is the water too cold?" He wanted to say something else. What he thought she wanted to hear. Half his brain was telling him he should, the other half was telling him to wait for a more appropriate time. But could he really wait?  
Meryl couldn't bare the silence anymore. "So when's the wedding?"  
'What......what wedding?' He stared at her in confusion; she would have answered sooner if she saw his face.  
"When did you give her the ring?"  
'What the hell is she talking about? Maybe she's delirious from her fever.' Vash was in a daze, as her words had made him forget what he had planned. "Are you ok, Meryl?"  
"Don't take pity on me, Vash the Stampede." Her eyes shot open, and she stared at him, the hate rising in her chest. "Go on with your life. I'm a lot stronger than you think I am, and I don't need you doing all of this just because you feel sorry for me. I hope she makes you happy." She turned her back to him, pulling the covers up to her neck.  
"Meryl? What are you talking about?" He lightly grabbed her shoulder to turn her back to face him, but she shrugged his hand off.  
"Oh please! You don't have to pretend anymore just because you don't want to see me hurt!"  
"Pretend anymore about what?!" He was growing tired of this, and so yanked the sheets from her and forced her to turn back to him.  
"Rina should make a lovely wife." She reached for the bowl on the sidetable and threw the water in his face.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
Evil EVIL Rina! ( And Michael Neon? What was I thinking? @______O At least he knocked some sense back into Vash. He might even hang around to see the results of his BRILLIANT work. *heehee* Right now...........I have NO clue where or when this story is going to end. ^_^x 


	11. Chapter Eleven of Twelve

He stood there in a daze, the water dripping down his face and the back of his neck. '..................wife?' He was completely confused as to what was going on, but he focused his mind on what he had come here for. "Meryl...I don't know what's going on, but let me do what I came here for."  
"Just forget it! I don't want you near me ever again!" Meryl fell back into the bed, pulling the sheets tight over her head.  
'No...I can't do that. Not anymore. Not when I realize what you need to hear. What I've been wanting to tell you for a long time.' He sighed, unbuttoning his shirt; he was no longer in control of his actions as his mind fell numb. He was giving in to what he wanted. He untied his long hair, throwing his shirt into the dark corner of the room. "Meryl." He tugged at the covers, trying to loosen it from her grip. "Meryl, let go."  
"Do you NOT know the meaning of 'leave me alone?'"  
"Yes....but I don't care. You shouldn't be alone right now." He managed to get some of the sheets loose and slipped into the bed beside her, without her knowing.  
"Who are you to determine what I need?" She turned, expecting to see him still standing there dumb-founded. Instead, she saw his turquoise eyes staring at her from the pillow that was next to hers. Some strands of hair had fallen over his shoulder, curling around the scars that were on his chest.  
He saw the surprise in her eyes and used it to his advantage. He took her withered hand in his and placed it on his chest, over the wire meshing that covered one of his wounds. He smiled to himself, seeing her cheeks brighten a bit, not from fever, but from blushing. "You see this scar, Meryl? It means nothing, not with the condition you're in. All these scars put together are nothing compared to the pain in my chest when you say those kinds of words. I don't mean the pain of guilt. I mean the pain of knowing that you don't want to open up to me. I realize now what you've been wanting me to say, the words that you've been wanting to hear."  
Meryl listened to his words, which were making her mind fuzzy. She felt dizzy, the image of Vash began to spin. The girl with the ring popped into her mind. 'This isn't right. He's engaged.' She shut her eyes tightly, repeating the words to herself. 'He's engaged, he's engaged, he's engaged...." It felt like her mind shattered when he pulled her closer to his chest. The warmth...the feeling of a man's touch, without it being sexual. She released the tears that she had been holding back the entire time, pressing her cheek into his warmth.  
"Let it all out, Meryl," he spoke in a hushed whisper, "I'm always going to be here for you. Because I love you." He kissed the top of her head, taking in the moment. "I always have, ever since that incident with Legato. But I just didn't want to admit to myself....because I was afraid to lose you."  
The words. It was the words she wanted to hear. And it was the same ones that she herself had wanted to tell him for so long, but never wanted to admit either.  
"Vash...I'm sorry for earlier." She wiped her eye with the heel of her hand. "I DID mean what I said, but I knew you'd take it the wrong way. I'm just sick of you blaming yourself all the time. Why can't you see the wonderful person that you are, instead of a burden? It's not your fault. Nothing ever was."  
"Yes it was. If I hadn't been drinking that night..."  
"The fact is you were, and I don't blame you for that. Things in life happen for a reason. The bad things have to happen so that the good things will seem all the more special."  
He smiled. "You mean like this one?"  
"Especially this one." She pressed herself closer against him. His skin felt calming and cool, due to her still rising fever.  
"You're still shivering." He pulled the sheets tightly around them. "The warmth should bring your temperature down."  
"Even if it doesn't, I don't want this to end." She closed her eyes, taking in every moment. She wanted to remember this forever.  
  
Rina had peeking through the keyhole, every second made her feel more and more defieted. He did love the girl after all. There was nothing she could do now. All that she had been living for had been flushed down the drain, like a prized earring that she could never get back. She slipped the ring off her finger, placing it on the ground in front of the door. 'I've lost you...the one I truly loved. I guess this ring wasn't for me after all.' She trudged down the hallway, leaving the once-prized bent piece of gold, to the kitchen. She looked around blindly, as if seeing the room for the first time. She felt bewildered and alone.  
She saw the knife lying there on the countertop. It's shiny surface caught her eye, and she had a flashback of the first time she had seen the ring on the table. She wanted it. Mesmerized, she walked over to it, taking it up in her hand. 'Yes....he left it for me.' She placed the razor-edge on her wrist and slid it across slowly, fascinated by the thick red liquid that emerged. It dripped to the ground, forming tiny red circles. The pain shot up her arm to her brain; it felt exquisite. It took her mind away from the heartache. She made more tiny incisions further up her arm, welcoming the dark dizziness thar began to envelope her.  
  
"Are you guys thirsty?" Milly stood up. Her mouth was feeling a bit dry from all the talking they had been doing. Knives and Michael nodded in agreement. "I'll see what I can find in the fridge."  
She was bit puzzled by the silence in the house. Earlier, she was hearing muffled screams coming from upstairs, but she couldn't bring herself to get up. Those two needed some time to work things out between them, and so decided not to interfere. But now it was quiet. Eerily quiet. She had been looking up the stairs at the door the two were behind, but now something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. It was a leg; the rest of the body was out of view. The sock was stained with a red substance. She hurried to the kitchen, coming to the conclusion that something was definitely wrong. It was Rina, surrounded by thick puddles of blood. The knife rested not too far from her hand. She tried her best to scream, but her voice never came. She returned to the room, dragging Knives and Michael to the kitchen.  
  
"Holy...!" Michael stood there, dazed. He had seen blood before, not to mention a countless number of bodies. But suicide was another case entirely. Knives looked on, a bit intrigued. The smell of blood in the air was a bit intoxicating for him, yet he did admit that it was indeed a gruesome scene.  
  
The couple had drifted off to a light sleep, but were awakened suddenly to the heavy pounding on the door.  
"What's wrong?" Vash had rushed to the door, flinging it open. Milly stood there, a shocked expression on her face. Her voice was still gone, but the other two were able to take care of the situation down stairs, leaving her to inform them of the news. Nothing that something was wrong, he rushed out the door, but stopped when he heard a slight crunching under his foot. It was the ring he had seen on Rina's finger earlier. 'Oh god........Rina!' He dashed downstairs, and stopped in horror at the kitchen doorway when he saw the sight.  
"Rina! RINA!" He cradled the young girl in his arms, taking care not to disturb the bandages that were now tied tightly around her arms; Neon and Knives had torn and ripped up their shirts into strips.  
"H..hey Vash." She spoke weakly, barely managing to keep her eyes open. She caught sight of the image of the ring in his hand, and took it from him. "I guess this wasn't meant for me, huh?" She coughed, as she felt her breathing beginning to slow.  
"So....that's what you meant earlier when you said..." Fresh hot tears poured down his cheeks as the realization came to him.  
Rina took his hand and pushed the ring onto it. "I'm sorry I couldn't make you happy. But I know in my heart she will." She smiled. "You deserve each other." Her eyes fluttered close, a smile remaining on her lips.  
Meryl had seen the expression on Milly's face, and although Vash had told her to remain in bed, she still managed to pull herself out of the bed and downstairs. Thanks to her stubbornness.  
The image sent a nauseating wave through her, the auburn-haired girl drenched in crimson. She realized now that she had been lieing to her about the ring, when she saw it on Vash's finger. Not to mention his saddened tear-stained face. But she felt more sadness than hate for the girl. She knew what it was like to want to be selfish, to want something that she felt she could never have. But now she had it. And she felt guilty.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
Wow. Poor Rina. Not even I expected this. Well, Vash and Meryl had their tender alone moment and made up. So I guess the fic is finally going to wind down to some kind of ending. (wow...........6 chapters after the rape scene, they finally make up O_O) ^_^x 


	12. Chapter Twelve of Twelve

~*~A few days later~*~  
  
"Is she going to be ok?" Vash's face was wrinkled with concern, as he stood on the other side of the hospital bed across from the doctor.  
"Yes. She did lose a lot of blood, but luckily we had enough of her blood type." He rechecked the charts in his hands and speedily walked off.  
Meryl sighed in relief. "Thank goodness."  
  
The tiny auburn-haired girl was unconscious, an IV line connected to her arm. Michael, Knives and Milly remained outside, feeling that it wasn't necessary for them to be inside. Meryl tugged on Vash's sleeve, whispering. "Can I talk to her? I know she probably can't hear me, but there some things that I need to say to her."  
  
He stared at her confused, but he nodded. He dragged himself out of the room, his hands shoved into his pockets. He was relieved that Rina hadn't died, but he was still upset that he was still somewhat the cause of the incident. 'I'm not worth it.....why do people keep wasting their lives for a piece of trash like me? First Rem, then Brad. And....Wolfwood...' He sighed, passing the other three; he paid them no attention, deep in his own thoughts.  
"Where're you going, Vash-san?"  
"Just for a walk. I need some time to myself."  
  
Meryl rested her hand on Rina's shoulder, drawing a chair to the side of the bed. "Ok. I know what you did, lieing about the ring and all. It wasn't a very nice thing to do, but I don't hate you. I admire you, actually. You knew what you wanted, and you didn't let anything step in your way to get it. You're a lot stronger than I am. I kept avoiding the matter or denying it entirely. And for that, I commend you." Meryl patted her shoulder, taking a good look at the young girl's face.  
  
Vash walked aimlessly, and now found himself somewhere on the edge of town, where there was a tall water tower. Staring up at it's great height, he decided that it would be a good place for him to collect his thoughts. He heard the metal ringing of his shoes on the steps, as he climbed higher and higher. He found a nice sitting perch at the top, enjoying the cool evening breeze that had picked up. He had forgotten to retie his hair, which was now whipping behind him in the breeze. He rested his chin on his hands, staring out at the orange hue of horizon.  
  
'Hey Needle-noggin.'  
  
'Wolfwood? But I thought...'  
  
'That I only came in dreams? Nah, you should know better.' Vash remembered that it was Wolfwood that had saved him in the fight against Knives six years ago.  
  
'I guess I should. What's up? I know you're not here for nothing.'  
  
'.......stop blaming yourself, Vash. You may have been the reason why she did it, but it wasn't your fault. It's not like you were there, holding the knife for her.'  
Vash shook the terrible image of Rina slicing her arms out of his head. 'I guess you're right....to an extent.'  
  
'You have to take care of Meryl now. Now that she knows exactly how you feel. She acts tough most of the time, but what she really wants is to be loved. To be treated like a woman.'  
  
He smirked. 'And I bet you know what that is.'  
  
'Funny. But you still haven't met that person that's been waiting for you.'  
  
'...........oh yeah. I forgot about that didn't I. But......haven't I met everyone? Who else is there to meet?'  
  
'Don't worry. You'll find out eventually. Later, Needle-noggin.'  
  
"Excuse me, Ms. Stryfe?"  
"Yes, doctor?"  
"Your friend outside informed me of your....*ahem* incident, and I'd like to examine you. To make sure nothing's been damaged."  
The thought of her being physically damaged hadn't come into her mind, as she wasn't feeling any physical pain. But she decided that it wouldn't hurt. And she hadn't had a checkup in a while.  
  
~*~2 weeks later; that night~*~  
  
They decided to relax spending the first half of the night at a bar. Michael Neon bid all of them a farewell, giving each of them a healthy handshake. He even threatened Vash that if he didn't come to visit or keep in touch, something bad was going to happen. He hopped on his motorbike, the neon lights on his hat reflecting off the metal. After a few seconds of finally getting it started he sped off, waving back a 2-fingered salute.  
Meryl, however, had backed out of going to the bar, and decided to remain at the hotel they booked into for the night, since there was no one at Rina's house(they did remember to lock it up before they left). Vash felt a bit concerned, unsure of what was wrong, and so decided to remain behind as well. Meryl was skulking around the house in a shorts and a white shirt, her footsteps dragging against the wooden floorboards.  
"Meryl?" Vash had been sitting on his bed, watching the raven-haired girl travel aimlessly from room to room.  
"Hm?"  
"What's wrong?" He could sense that she was uneasy about something.  
She sighed heavily, trudging over to him and plopped onto the mattress. "Milly told the doctor about...what happened...and he suggested I get a checkup to make sure nothing was damaged internally."  
"Everything came out alright, right?" He asked, nervously.  
"Yeah. Everything's.......just fine."  
"Meryl....you've been going to the doctor a lot nowadays." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and leaned her against him. "Tell me."  
".....I'm pregnant." She managed to mutter the words, as she stared at her feet. She could usually predict how Vash reacted to everything, but she couldn't this time.  
'Pregnant? Is it....the child who Wolfwood was talking about?' His hand drifted to her stomach. "You mean....in here?"  
"Well, of course in there, Vash." She joked. "Where else would it be?"  
He smiled, glad that she was returning to her normal self. She had started eating again, and slept for longer periods of time. Her skin was taking on a healthier tone and the dark circles were disappearing from her eyes.  
They sat there in silence: Meryl was waiting for his response, and Vash was figuring out what he should do, which didn't take him long.  
He pulled himself off the bed and kneeled on the ground in front of her, holding her hands in his. "Meryl, I don't care about that fact that this child's father is an asshole. But I want to be there to see it born. I want to hold your baby in my hands and see it grow. I want to see a smile of pride on your face when you see your child achieving great things."  
"OUR child, Vash...."  
Those three words quickly brought tears to his eyes. He embraced her fully, glad that something in his life was finally coming together. 'Our child...' he repeated the words in his head. He was not the biological father, but would sure as hell do his best to bring the child up as his own.  
"How about Vash Jr. if it's a boy?" He smirked.  
"Are you crazy?" Meryl scoffed, hitting him lightly in the head with a pillow.  
  
THE END  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
*sniff* I didn't want to rush the ending of the fic, but I still knew that it had to end in this chapter. Whew! Finishing this has actually saddened me; I guess I formed an emotional attachment to it. It's like getting into an anime series, and really enjoying it......until you reach the end. You're glad that you could experience some of your favourite character's emotions alongside them, but at the same time, you're sad that it's over. You got to BE in that world with them. But you have to return to your own world when it's all over. -_- I'm quite proud of myself for this fic. And now I have one less fic to work on. ^^' Thanks to everyone who's read to the end of this fic, and for those who made suggestions as to what I should add. And so here ends the fic. *takes a small bow* ^_^x 


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